


Remembering hurts

by ASkyOfKai



Series: Altean Lance [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Altean Lance (Voltron), Cuban Lance (Voltron), Fluff and Angst, Galra Keith (Voltron), Homesick Lance (Voltron), I'm Bad At Tagging, M/M, Other characters mentioned - Freeform, it's just teasing, very teensy amounts of smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-20
Updated: 2018-03-21
Packaged: 2019-04-05 00:52:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14032569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ASkyOfKai/pseuds/ASkyOfKai
Summary: “Yea Keith is right. I’m just, I’m gonna go get some sleep. Bye guys.” Lance said, standing up quickly. Remembering had given him a pang of homesickness that had lodged deep in his chest. He walked out of the lounge, feeling the burning stares on his back as he left.The door closed behind him and Lance sniffed, determined not to cry. He set off down the hall, breaking into a run after a few steps. The world blurred around him, his footsteps echoing loudly in his ears, a pounding rhythm that tethered him to reality. Somehow he ended up on the bridge, staring out at the endless sea of stars. Tears slid down his face, and Lance fell to his knees, squeezing his eyes shut.





	1. Remembering hurts: Part 1

It had been a long day. Voltron had freed another planet from the grasp of the Galra, but the fight had taken a toll on the Paladins. The natives of the planet, the Drehemions, were understanding and allowed the team to return to the castle. Before they left however, King Rinji gave them his thanks in the form of a magical flower. This flower was said to possess the power of healing and could sense the quintessence in people, thus allowing it to bond with a person. It was placed in the lounge, where they now sat. 

Lance lay down across the pillows, half listening to the conversation. He let his mind wander, remembering his childhood. His eyes drifted shut and he watched his memories play out on the backs of his eyelids in a dream-like manner. 

~*~“Abuela, Abuela! Tell me and Maria more about Altea and Voltron!” Lance shouted as he and his cousin ran into the sitting room. His grandmother smiled down at the two children. 

“I’ve told you all I know, chiquitos.”

“Then tell us again!” Lance yelled excitedly and jumped up and down. “Please please pleeeeease.”

“Very well. What do you wish to know?” Abuela asked while picking Lance and Maria up and setting them on her lap.

“Everything!” Maria grinned and Lance nodded. “We want everything!”

“Long, long ago, in a galaxy far far away, not unlike Star Wars, there was a war being fought. The Galra Empire began to spread like a disease. In the last battle between Altea and Zarkon, King Alfor decided to send a 100 Alteans here to Earth, far from the reaches of Zarkon. He sent the Blue Lion with us and our family settled down in what is now Cuba. They tried to keep us pure Altean, but over time they slowly began to have children with humans. Our magic is what keeps us hidden from the rest of the world. Some have the gift, like your brother Marco, but some do not. Those with magic help the rest of our family in staying secret. It is important for you both to remember that we must never tell anyone about our true appearance. That is why you wear the necklace at school pequeño. It hides your Altean markings.” 

“I don’t like it,” Lance grumbled, crossing his arms. “The string is itchy on my neck.”

“I know pequeño, I know. But it keeps us safe so you can never take it off. If you do, people will come for us and they will lock us away. And then the Galra will learn that there are Alteans here and they will come for us. We cannot bring war to Earth. Someday someone will come for the Blue Lion, and we can only hope they will bring peace and not death.” Abuela smoothed her hand over Lance’s hair and hugged him closer. 

“I’m going to pilot the Blue Lion someday!” Lance’s eyes gleamed with childlike excitement. 

“Nu-uh! Only a Paladin of Voltron can do that!” Maria stuck her tongue out at Lance and glared at him. 

“Don’t be mean to your cousin. He can believe whatever fantasy he wants.” 

“I will do it! I promise!”~*~

“Lance?”

Lance startled at the sound of his name. All eyes were looking expectantly at him. He searched his mind for the topic they had been discussing, but hadn’t been paying enough attention to remember. 

“Uh yea sure. I agree.” Lance said, hoping to appear like he’d been listening. The team gave him blank stares before bursting into laughter. 

“What?” Lance asked defensively as Keith sniggered next to him. “What did I do?”

“Hunk asked what recipe your mother used for ropa vieja.” Pidge explained through their giggles. Lance felt a blush lightly spreading across his face. 

“Oh,” he said stupidly. 

“It’s alright man. So what does she use?” Hunk assured him, though he was still laughing slightly. Lance sat back and furrowed his eyebrows, remembering the last time he cooked with his familia.

~*~It was Christmas Eve, and Lance had just gotten his acceptance letter into Galaxy Garrison. He was trying to wait for the right time to tell people about it. Unfortunately, his family was a little scary when it came to mentioning space. 

“So Mami, I was just wondering,” Lance began as he chopped onions. “What would happen if I applied to go to Galaxy Garrison?” His mother handed the garlic and oregano paste over to his cousin and joined him at the chopping board. 

“Well hijo, I would think it’s okay. I wouldn’t be very happy, but I would accept it. Your papi and abuela however, no tanto. Your hermanos would try to follow you and your sister would probably smack you upside the head. You know how Veronica is.” Lance’s mother said as she mixed the marinade. “Marco get the flan out the oven! No, no, don’t- oh madre de la mierda! Sorry hijo, I have to go help your brother.”

Lance set the knife aside and picked up the cutting board, moving it to a secure location. He glanced around the crowded kitchen, deciding to go into the family room to escape the chaos being caused by Marco. As he walked, he felt the letter brush against his leg. After Christmas, he decided. He would tell them after Christmas. ~*~

“I think he’s just worn out from the fight today.” 

Lance was shaken out of his thoughts by Keith talking. He looked around the room at the other Paladins staring at him in concern. 

“Yea Keith is right. I’m just, I’m gonna go get some sleep. Bye guys.” Lance said, standing up quickly. Remembering had given him a pang of homesickness that had lodged deep in his chest. He walked out of the lounge, feeling the burning stares on his back as he left. 

The door closed behind him and Lance sniffed, determined not to cry. He set off down the hall, breaking into a run after a few steps. The world blurred around him, his footsteps echoing loudly in his ears, a pounding rhythm that tethered him to reality. Somehow he ended up on the bridge, staring out at the endless sea of stars. Tears slid down his face, and Lance fell to his knees, squeezing his eyes shut.

“Hey.” Keith’s voice sounded soft as he sat down beside Lance. 

“I miss them,” Lance whispered, opening his eyes and staring down at the blurry shapes of his hands. “I miss them so fucking much.”

“Your family?” Keith asked, leaning slightly against Lance’s shoulder. 

“Sí. Mi hermano, Marco, he was like me. He always longed for the sky. When I told mi familia that I was going to the Garrison, only he and Mami stood by me. Luis almost took my side, but Papi convinced him that I was making a mistake. Abuela was more mad than when I came out. My family had always told me that we were safe on Earth, that the Galra wouldn’t find us if we were careful.” Lance lifted the small blue pendant around his neck and stared at it sitting in his palm. “It was my dream as a child to pilot the Blue Lion. Abuela had told me and Marcia so many stories about Voltron, how could I not want to be a part of it? And then, then my wish came true. But I never got a chance to tell them.” Lance looked over at Keith, who had been listening in silence. “I never told them that I was following in my ancestor’s footsteps. I never told them that I was going home to Altea. And now, now that I’m here and fighting, all I want to do is go back to Earth.” Lance let the pendent drop from his hand as his eyes filled with tears once more. 

“When my father left, two years after my mother left, I was only 5 years old,” Keith began. “Shiro found me when I was 7. At first I hated him. I wanted my father to come back. I didn’t understand why he would have left me. Shiro was patient with me though, and he became a sort of older brother to me. He was the reason I was accepted into the Garrison. When he disappeared in space, it nearly broke me. I had lost the only person I ever considered family. Being part of Voltron was never a problem for me, because I had nothing to return to on Earth. But after finding out that I’m half Galra, I feel something, and it makes me wonder what life would have been like had my mother not left.”

“At least you can accept it.,” Lance scoffed. “I’ve been taught to deny my heritage from the moment I could ask why I had blue marks all over my body.”

“Family can be hard to deal with. But they are still family no matter what. That’s why Voltron is my family now.” Keith said and moved to hug Lance. His arms encircled Lance’s torso and his legs wrapped around his waist so that Lance was sitting against Keith’s chest. They stared out at the black space filled with millions upon billions of twinkling dots for what seemed like hours when in reality, only a few moments passed. 

“I thought I would feel at home on Altea. I was returning to a place we had left centuries ago. Finding Allura and Coran made me realize that Altea was a thing of the past, that the Castle of Lions was the only thing left. 10,000 years is a long time. And it hurts, not telling them that they are not the only Alteans left. There’s still my family, and some other families that broke off from us somewhere along the line.” Lance’s fingers found the pendent again and he fiddled with the magic infused disk of opal. “But I think the opportunity to tell them has long passed.”

“Not necessarily. They might be mad at you for a while, but you can still tell them.” Keith rested his chin on Lance’s shoulder. 

“No. Even if I wanted to, I can’t. Abuela made sure of that when she gave me the cloaking charm. I can only tell people I-” Lance broke off, blushing hard. 

“Tell people that you...you what?” Keith asked, lifting his head and looking at Lance. 

“T-tell people th-that I...that I l-love…” Lance stuttered out, hiding his face in his opposite shoulder. 

“Oh,” Keith made a small sound of understanding. “I uh, I love you too.” He said. Lance glanced at him. 

“You do?” 

“Yea. I do.”

Lance stared at Keith for a second before softly kissing the side of his mouth. Sure they had been dating for only a few months, and they hadn’t told anyone yet, but they were also two half aliens in space fighting in an intergalactic war as the most powerful weapon in the universe. Lance assumed that those circumstances made it okay for them to say “I love you” this early on.   
“So you can’t even if you want to?” Keith asked a moment later. Lance shrugged. 

“I could do something, but I’m not sure I want to do it.” Lance’s fingers tightened around the opal pendant. “I could destroy the charm.”

Keith watched as Lance pulled the necklace over his head, revealing the hidden Altean features. Lance untangled himself from Keith’s hold and stood up, holding the silver chain by the tips of fingers. The opalescent oval swung slightly, inviting Lance to remember Abuela giving it to him. 

~*~“Now neito, this is a gift. You must never throw it out. It will keep you safe.”

“What does it do?” Lance asked, his eyes wide with curiosity as he watched Abuela hold up the necklace. 

“You’ll see,” Abuela told him and dropped the knotted string (he later replaced it for an actual necklace chain) over his head. The magic washed over him in a wave of burning cold, leaving fiery sensations where his skin was blue and glowing. Lance could feel his hair changing color, the marks fading from his skin, the weight of the family jewels disappearing. Abuela sat back and smiled at him, looking pleased that the charm had worked so well. 

“I’ll never let it go,” Lance promised, before he ran off to show his cousins his new appearance.~*~ 

“Lance? Keith?” A voice sounded from behind the door to the bridge. Lance jumped in shock, and seemed to watch the necklace fall from his fingertips in slow motion. He watched as the opal hit the floor, shattering into 5 neat little pieces and releasing a small wave of soft blue energy. 

'Fuck I didn’t actually intend to do it oh fuck,' was Lance’s last thought before the door opened and a shout of surprise echoed in his ears.


	2. Remembering hurts: Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is less angsty and more fluffy/slightly smutty. There's like, light teasing but that's as smutty as it gets. I hope y'all enjoy it cause I worked on it all day so that you could have it earlier than I originally planned!

The pale light of the hallway washed over Lance as he frantically searched his mind for anything but the truth. He felt rather than saw Keith move closer to him, a comforting presence under the heavy gaze of one Pidge Gunderson. 

“You’re Altean,” Pidge stated, stepping onto the bridge. “You’re descended from the colony sent to Earth.” 

Lance gaped at them. How had Pidge known?? There was no way that they were related, but only his family knew what had happened in the past. 

“Coran told me,” Pidge said, noticing and answering the question written across his face. 

“Coran knows??” Lance nearly shouted, his mind racing with worrying thoughts about Coran and Allura and secrets and shit shit shit Abuela was going to kill him. 

“Well, he alone knows that King Alfor sent a group of Alteans away from the Gala as the planet was being destroyed. After finding the Blue Lion on Earth, I did some research. It took me forever, but I eventually found an old alien who had visited Earth approximately 200 years ago. Said that he met the half-Altean colony in Cuba, and their last name was McClain. It was obvious from there.” Pidge explained with a shrug. Lance visibly relaxed when Pidge stated that Coran was the only who knew. 

“And you haven’t told anyone else?” Lance asked, needing 100% certainty. Pidge nodded. 

“Not even Coran knows that I figured it out. Hey by the way, why does Keith get to know but none of the rest of us do?” Pidge asked, their curiosity taking over. “And how did you hide your markings? How does anyone in your family hide their markings?” They started to bounce slightly with excitement. “Can I run some tests on you to find out exactly how Altean you are??” 

Lance took a cautious step back, glancing sideways at Keith. He wasn’t sure how to answer Pidge’s first question, and he hoped Keith would have a good explanation for this situation. Keith seemed to pick up on Lance’s silent SOS and he moved his hand to rest on the small of Lance's back. 

“I’m sure Lance will be just fine with being your guinea pig, but that will have to wait. He’s tired and needs some sleep.” Keith said, his voice sounding soft yet sharp, if that was even possible. 

“Awww okay.” Pidge visibly deflated and turned to leave. “First thing tomorrow morning, I want you in my lab.” They said over their shoulder and left the bridge. 

Lance let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding and slumped into Keith’s side. 

“What do I do now?” He mumbled into the warm fabric covering Keith’s shoulder. 

“We’ll figure that out in the morning.” Keith said. He entwined their fingers together and led Lance out into the hallway. “Your room or mine?”

“Yours is closer.” Lance sighed as they set off toward Keith’s room. He was stuck in an inevitable situation, but one that he had hoped to put off for many many years. 

The door swished as Keith opened it and pulled Lance into the dark space. Lance tugged off his shirt, letting the soft blue glow of his markings light up the room. The glow was brighter the closer he was to Keith, thanks to some freaky evolution that had happened in the 10,000 years since his ancestors left Altea. Keith’s fingers ran lightly up his sides before snaking around his mid-torso and he bent his head, pressing a soft kiss on the nape of Lance’s neck. The tip of his tongue traced the outline of each mark on his back, leaving Lance feeling like he was on clouds. He moaned Keith’s name breathlessly and Keith nuzzled his face into Lance’s neck. 

“I love you,” Lance murmured, relishing the way the words rolled smoothly on his tongue. He felt Keith’s smile against his neck and leaned back, resting his head on Keith's shoulder. Lance didn't know how long they stood in the middle of the room, the darkness barely being held back by a soft blue glow.  
~  
When Lance awoke the next morning, he was encased in warm sheets and could feel Keith's body tangled with his own. He blearily blinked at the clock, trying to read the time through sleepy eyes. Lance sat up, much to the dismay of Keith, who feebly pulled at his shirt hem. 

“Lo siento _mi amor._ Pidge will kill me if I'm late.” 

Lance slipped out of bed and collected his shirt, putting it and a hoodie they had found in a storage room on. He flipped the hood up, hoping to keep anyone he might encounter from seeing the marks on his face. 

There was a rustling noise as Keith sat up behind him in bed. Lance turned to face the sleepy Paladin.

“Wait for me,” Keith mumbled, yawning widely. Lance chuckled at the furry purple ears sprouting from his head and the light smattering of purple and silver freckles across Keith's cheekbones. 

“I’d suggest getting your problem under control,” Lance said, putting an emphasis on ‘problem’ with a slight smirk dancing across his face. 

“Wha-?” Keith glanced down and after finding no problem there, lifted his hands and felt the ears. “Ohh.” 

“I'll meet you at Pidge’s lab in 20 minutes, okay?” 

Keith nodded and Lance stepped out into the hallway, looking for anyone passing by. He didn't see anyone, so he quickly left and turned the corner, heading straight for Pidge’s evil lair- I mean lab. Much to Lance's relief, he made it without encountering anyone else. Pidge ushered him to the back of the place, where they had appeared to have set up an electric chair. 

“Uh Pidge? Silly question, but you aren't planning to murder me, are you?” Lance asked nervously, staring at the mess of wires and disks. 

“Course not. That measures the levels in your systems and your brain activity.” Pidge ran around setting up screens and plugging cords in.

“Levels of what?” Lance was beginning to regret agreeing to do this. Maybe if he left quietly... 

“Iron, oxygen, hormones, etcetera,” said Pidge while wrapping a band around Lance’s upper arm. “I need you to sit down while I hook you up.”

Within minutes Lance was feeling like he was in one of those sci-fi torture devices the FBI uses in movies. Pidge was taking notes as they walked around Lance, comparing the data on the screens to a smaller screen in their hand. 

“Whoa,” Pidge said, glancing repeatedly between the two screens. 

“What??” Lance asked, trying to see what Pidge was looking at without moving too much. 

“Nothing, nothing.” Pidge dismissively waved their hand, but their eyebrows furrowed into a confused frown. 

“ _Mierda, no me gusta esto,_ ” Lance muttered under his breath.

“Take off your shirt.” Pidge said suddenly, making another note on their device. 

“Why?” 

“Because I need to see your bone structure.” 

Lance sighed, wondering what was taking Keith so long and carefully removed his shirt, trying to avoid messing with the wires. The cool air hit his back as Pidge walked around him, making more notes. They leaned over and poked at one of the swirls on his shoulder. 

“Don’t do that! They’re sensitive!!” Lance hissed clenching his jaw as a spike of pleasure rolled through him. There was a reason that Keith rarely applied any pressure to the blue marks, but he wasn’t about to tell Pidge that. 

“Interesting. Does it hurt when I poke them too hard?” Pidge noted, pushing down on the skin. Lance’s face heated up and he ground the heel of his hand into his crotch, trying to keep his body under control. 

“Pidge I’m only saying it once more. Do. Not. Do. That.” Lance’s voice was deadly quiet as he spoke, his eyes squeezing shut. 

“I’m putting barely any pressure on them, what’s wrong? Are they really that sensitive?” Pidge’s voice was filled with concern and Lance nodded carefully. 

“Yes. So take your goddamn finger off.” Lance sighed in relief as the weight vanished and he rolled his shoulder, trying to ease the faint pleasure stil radiating from the spot. 

“I need to study this more…” Pidge mumbled, running over to their desk and grabbing a few items Lance couldn’t see. “Describe the sensation as accurately as you can!” They called over their shoulder and Lance felt like dying at that moment. 

“Please just move on to something else,” he pleaded. 

“Nope, this is super interesting! Allura and Coran’s marks aren’t sensitive, and I need to know why your family’s genes evolved this way! Give me 5 to sort out what I’ve got right now.” Pidge excitedly raced to their computer and their fingers flew across the keyboard, inputting whatever notes they already had. The door opened and Keith entered, walking over and sitting down next to Lance. 

“Thank god you’re here. Pidge found out how sensitive my marks are.” Lance muttered to the other boy, who let out a snort of laughter. 

“You must be having fun,” Keith teased and Lance glared at him. 

“So you’re in one of those moods today, are you?” 

“Yup.” A sly grin spread across Keith’s face and Lance seriously considered running out of the room right now. If Keith was giving him that expression, Lance knew he was in for a mountain of embarrassment and trouble. 

“This is going to be entertaining,” Keith said, leaning closer so that his breath ghosted over Lance’s neck, causing a shudder to run down his spine. His fingers danced up Lance’s arm and lightly scraped across the glowing blue swirls, drawing a gasp from Lance’s lips. 

“What are you doing?” Lance mumbled, his eyes falling shut. 

“Shhh.” Keith’s voice swished through Lance’s head, and he lightly nipped at the tip of his pointed ear. Lance bit back a moan as Keith’s fingers slowly rubbed the edges of the blue swirls. 

“Pidge is 20 feet away,” Lance broke through the fog of pleasure filling his mind but was pulled back under as Keith lightly pressed a kiss on the side of his neck. 

“I know. That’s what makes it even better.” Keith murmured into the warm skin. 

“ _Carajo_ Keith,” Lance swore quietly. “You fucking exhibitionist.” He tipped his head back, allowing Keith more access to his neck. 

Keith’s tongue traced a path up the tan skin, digging his nails into different marks at the same time. Lance gasped and his fingers scrambled for a hold, gripping tightly onto the fabric of his shirt in his lap. His whole body tensed up as Keith’s other hand lightly crept across his waist, dipping just under the belt. 

“Mi Dios Keith that feels good,” Lance panted, his voice tight and low. Keith hummed in response, his throat vibrating against the skin of Lance’s shoulder. A spike of pleasure rolled down his spine into his navel, leaving a trail of warmth through Lance’s body. 

“Okay guys, give me just one...more...second…” Pidge’s voice cut through the misty haze of Lance’s mind. His eyes opened as Keith sat back, grinning like the goddamn Cheshire Cat. Lance shakily took a deep breath, trying to calm down before Pidge returned. 

“Okay! Now, tell me exactly what this feels like.” Pidge said, bounding over to them and jabbing one of Lance’s marks harshly with a cylindrical object. The coldness of the metal burned through his back and Lance couldn’t stop the loud moan that escaped him as it seeped into his core. His hands clenched hard around the shirt he was holding and his eyes squeezed shut. 

“Whoa Lance, you okay?” Pidge asked as he doubled over, trying to hide the growing bulge in his pants. 

“Oh he’s fine,” Keith said, his voice filled with amusement. “He didn’t inform you of the specific type of sensitivity that poking those caused, did he?”

“No...is it not a painful feeling? What other sensi- what the fuck why are they glowing now??” Pidge cut themself off, apparently just now noticing the blue light coming from the marks. 

“Keith shut up,” Lance hissed. “Pidge can we do this another time? Please?” He opened his eyes, staring down at the floor. 

“But-but-” Pidge let out a heavy sigh. “Yea I guess. But can we please continue soon? I really want to know more about the differences and similarities between you and the original Alteans.”  
“Of course. Just not right now.” Lance said, sitting up fully and smiling slightly at the excited teen. “Keith, we need to talk.” He said sharply, turning his gaze on the half Galran boy sitting next to him. Keith smirked at him as Pidge walked around removing the wires and tape from Lance’s torso and forehead. 

Lance stood up, shaking out his arms and legs. He pulled his shirt on as Keith got up from the floor. 

“Wait wait wait. There was a huge spike in your hormones and brain activity when Keith walked in, and your pulse quickened. What the hell?” Pidge was talking to themself as they examined the screens. Lance took that as his cue to grab Keith’s hand and run out of the room with him. 

“You are too much sometimes.” Lance said once they were out in the safety of the hallway. 

“Yes I am. And you love it.” Keith grinned cheekily and Lance leaned forward, wiping the smirk away with a kiss. 

“Come on,” he said when they pulled apart. “I’ve got something I need to tell the others.”

They linked hands and set off down the hallway, only letting go of each other when they reached the training room, where Lance could hear the sounds of the team training inside. He took a deep breath and pushed open the door, preparing for a deluge of questions and shock.

**Author's Note:**

> This was meant to be a oneshot, but then my evil author brain took over and told me to make it a cliffhanger. I'll write part 2 as soon as I can. Comments are always appreciated! (hint hint nudge nudge)


End file.
